Ghost Town
by crazililwabbit
Summary: Sam and Dean take the newly human Castiel on a routine run to look into what they have been told is a vampire abduction ring. What happens when they wake up over 200 years in the future, when the world is a wasteland and their saviors are three girls who's pasts have shaped them into the perfect survivalists? Action and romance in the Commonwealth! Enjoy! M rating for language.
1. Grim Future

Dean inhaled as deep as his lungs would allow him, it felt as though he hadn't used them in a century. "Sammy…" his voice was dry and just as unused as his lungs. He could hear his brother coughing from nearby, but his vision wouldn't clear well enough for him to make out more than blurred shapes. "Sammy!" he tried to call louder.

"Here Dean," Sam's voice was just as ragged as Dean's felt. "I am right here."

He felt a hand rest on his shoulder, "what the hell is happening?" His vision began to slowly clear, he could make out the cement floor beneath them and the huge tanks across from the one he had been shoved in only minutes ago.

"I have no idea…" Sam's voice broke again in a fit of coughing.

Dean turned his head to look at his brother, "where's Cas?"

" _Try to act more natural, Cas," Sam glanced worriedly at their friend who was fidgeting with his tie. "Remember, we aren't feds this time, we're here as customers."_

" _I understand," he released his tie and tried to stand in the same manner as the Winchesters, holding his arms out awkwardly._

" _Yea, you can't just zap yourself out of trouble anymore…" Dean's words trailed off as his face contorted into bewilderment. "What are you doing?"_

" _I am trying to stand more naturally…" Cas shrugged._

" _We don't stand like that," he shook his head at the graceless angel, "I don't stand like that." He looked to his brother for confirmation, but received only a shrug. "I don't stand like that," he grumbled gritting his teeth._

" _Hello gentlemen!" the blonde woman in the blue jumpsuit smiled at them looked down to the clipboard nestled in her arms. "Names, please?"_

" _Uh, I am Mr. Ackles," Dean returned the girl's smile._

" _Mr. Padalecki," Sam nodded._

" _Mr. Collins," Castiel tried to smile._

" _Let's see," the girl's eyes trailed down her list as she checked them off one by one. "Very good, welcome gentlemen to Vault-Tec's vault 111. Are you ready for your tour?"_

" _Please," Dean motioned for her to lead the way._

" _First, before we can begin, we ask that all visitors take a Vault-Tec jumpsuit and go through our decontamination units so that we can keep any harmful bacteria out of the inner vault," she motioned to the crate of suits just like hers. "I know the blue isn't particularly flattering, but it insures safety."_

" _Of course," Sam smiled and took his suit first._

" _I don't understand, what is wrong with our clothes?" Castiel frowned._

" _Just listen to the lady," Dean growled dug a suit out of the crate._

"Something must have gone wrong with the machines…" Sam's breathing was labored, "There is… something wrong, Dean."

Dean struggled to regain his bearings as he looked around at the other tanks. "Where are all the lights?" he wrapped his arms around himself, "and why is it so damn cold?"

The tank next to where Dean was shivering began to groan as the lights came on and the large glass door began to lift.

"Cas!" Sam lurched towards the man, catching him as he fell forward.

"What the hell is happening here, Sammy?" Dean grunted. "Where is everyone?"

"I know as much as you do," Sam lowered Castiel to the ground as he coughed until his stomach emptied itself all over the floor.

"Awe, man," Dean gagged.

"I am sorry," Castiel's voice was almost a whisper, "I don't know why I feel so sick."

"It's alright," Sam patted his back, "we don't know what is going on either."

"We need to get out of here," Dean began to move down the walkway to where they had been led in.

" _These are uh, a little snug…" Dean smiled at the woman who was waiting for them outside of the changing area._

" _They are meant to be snug," her smile was just as wide as it had been when she first met them. "The fabric helps to regulate homeostasis, and to protect the wearer from mild radiation."_

" _Radiation?" Sam frowned._

" _Yes, Mr. Padalecki," the girl motioned for them to follow her, "this is after all a fallout shelter. In the case of nuclear fallout, there will be residual radiation for quite some time on the surface, and we here at Vault-Tec believe in insuring our client's safety above all else."_

" _Oh, right," Dean nodded, "radiation, of course." He smiled at Castiel who only frowned deeper as he trailed behind the brothers._

 _They followed her down a narrow cement walkway that was lined with giant capsules. "These are our decontamination units, the cutting edge of technology recently perfected by our Vault-Tec engineers." She continued to smile as she helped Sam climb into his. "In just a few minutes you will be cleared to continue on your tour of the facility."_

 _Castiel was helped into his pod by a man dressed in a matching jumpsuit and looked worriedly towards Dean._

" _It's alright," Dean nodded, "we are right here." He smiled to the girl as she reached up to grasp the edge of the tank's lid, "he is easily rattled."_

" _That is no problem," her voice dropped as she closed the glass lid. "In a few minutes it won't matter anyway," her lips pursed together as she leaned in closer so Dean could hear her over the hiss of the gas entering the chamber. "See you in a few months, Mr. Ackles."_

" _Wait," Dean could feel panic rise in his chest as the temperature in the tank dropped rapidly, "what?" He tried to raise his arms, to force the door open, but he found himself unable to move. The more he fought it the faster his vision faded._

"Dean, we need to get out of here," Sam had pulled Castiel to his feet as they tried to make their way back to the elevator.

"There is something wrong with this door," Dean strained against the unmoving metal. "Where the hell is everyone?!" the strength had returned to his limbs, adding fuel to the anger burning in his veins.

He pushed away from the door and turned to make his way towards the terminal he could see from where they were standing. He hadn't moved five steps when his feet tangled in something heavy and he landed face first on the cold floor.

"I am so sick of this place!" he yelled, kicking his feet, "who the hell just leaves people in an underground…" his voice caught in his throat; tangled around his boots were the bare bones of a human skeleton shoved into a bold, blue jumpsuit.

"What the hell!?" he pushed himself up from the ground and began to stomp his way through the empty hallways.

"Dean!" Sam called as he helped Castiel follow the raging man.

"I don't like being lied to Sammy!" he yelled as he banged on every door he passed. "I don't like being lied to, and I sure as hell don't like being used!"

Finally one of the doors gave away, only to lead to another room full of skeletons.

"What is going on here?" Sam looked around. "Everything looks so old and unused…"

Dean ran his fingers along one of the counters, "I would say it hasn't been used," he wiped the layer of dust that was covering his fingers on the jumpsuit.

"We need to find our way back to the elevator," Sam lowered Castiel to a bench.

"Hey, hey!" Dean pulled a black metal baton from the hands of one of the skeletons. "Here you go Sammy," he tossed it across the room.

"Thanks, but what about you?" Sam flicked his wrist, extending the baton out to its full length.

"Did you think I would have let them take me down to the lower levels without some security?" he pulled the demon blade from inside the jumpsuit.

"Where were you…?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Don't ask," Dean's face turned to the still wheezing angel. "Are you alright?"

"I…" Castiel struggled to pull in any air, "I don't… think… so…"

"Come on," Sam helped him back up.

The halls seemed to stretch on forever, with nothing but skeletons in empty jumpsuits scattered around. The trio slowly made their way through the vault, room after dimly lit room.

"Finally," Dean's shoulder's relaxed once they found themselves back at the entrance to the vault.

"You know," Sam looked behind them. "We never found any way to the lower levels."

"Doesn't matter…" Dean punched some of the controls, "we are getting the hell outta here." He frowned and hit the buttons harder, "if the stupid thing would turn on!"

"I think… you need…" Castiel wheezed, "one… of those." He pointed to the device wrapped around the skeleton's wrist at Dean's feet.

"What is it?" Dean struggled to get it off the protesting arm.

"It's probably something that allows them to interface with the system here," Sam lowered Castiel to the ground and took the device from Dean. "If this whole place is meant to continue operating after a total power blackout, it would stand to reason that it has its own interface and processing systems."

"Nerd." Dean knelt down and helped the angel back up.

Sam clipped the large piece of hardware to his wrist and pulled the connector off the back. "Uhhhh, oh, here," he plugged it into the control panel, injecting life into the seemingly dead system. "There we go!"

An alarm began to go off from somewhere deep in the compound as the giant wheel blocking their path began to roll away.

"Finally!" Dean made his way down the metal walkway with Castiel as Sam pushed some buttons on the control panel, disconnected himself and followed.

"It should just go up on its own," Sam joined them on the platform.

"So, do we just stand here, or…" the shuddering of the elevator coming to life cut Dean off.

The air began to clear and sunlight began to pour down the shaft as they were taken higher and higher to the surface.

"I am telling you Sammy," Dean chuckled, "never again…"

Silence settled over them as the glare from the sun faded, allowing their eyes to adjust to the view.

"Where the hell are we?" Dean breathed, holding an arm over his head, shading his eyes.

Castiel pushed himself away from Dean and hobbled forward. "I knew…" his breathing was still labored. "I knew… nuclear war… was… inevitable… but I," he stopped on the edge of the platform looking down at the wasteland below them that was once the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. "But I never… would have guess it would be like this…"

"Stay right where you are!" A voice yelled from behind them.

Dean and Sam swung around to face the three girls with their guns pointed at them.

"Weapons on the ground now," the shortest one gritted her teeth, "nice and easy."

"Whoa!" Dean held the knife up and began to slowly lower it down.

Sam did the same with his baton.

"Where are we?" Dean asked as he stood back up from placing the knife on the platform.

"What do you mean, 'where are we?'" the same girl spoke, "you are in the Commonwealth, you know… Massachusetts."

"They're from a vault, Boden," the redhead spoke quietly to her friend, her sniper rifle remaining on them. "They may not know… anything."

"You mean they don't have anything," the first girl sighed and lowered her shotgun.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that!" the third girl with green hair grinned. "Look at that PipBoy!"

"What would we do with a PipBoy, Ellie?" The dark haired girl glared at the one who was excitedly staring at Sam.

" _We_ wouldn't do anything…" She rubbed her hands together greedily, "but _I_ could have a whole lot of fun!"

"We aren't raiders, we don't just take things from people," the redhead shoved the other girl, breaking her trance on Sam.

"Oh, but Lou!" she pouted. "Just this once! They don't even have any guns!"

"Exactly," Lou slung her rifle over her back. "They don't need us making things worse for them."

"Your friend doesn't look so good," the short girl motioned to Castiel who had slumped to the ground.

"Who are you?" Sam asked as he stared bewildered at the girls.

"Cas!" Dean called to the angel who was beginning to black out. "Cas!" he knelt next to the gasping man.

"Here," the redhead moved forward as she pulled a needle from her belt.

"Sharing stimpaks?" Boden raised an eyebrow, "a little assuming isn't it? We don't even know these people."

"If we refuse to help people who need it, we are no better than raiders," she glared at her friend, "and you know how I feel about them."

"Okay, okay," she held up her hands. "It's your stash anyway… do with it as you please."

"Here," she handed the syringe to Dean.

"What is this?" Dean stared at her, confusion written all over his face.

"It's a stimpak…" her eyebrows raised, "it will help him."

"Well, what the hell do I do with it?" Dean held it over his chest, "here?"

"No!" Lou grabbed the needle back from him. "No! That could make his heart explode!" She chuckled as she knelt next to the angel. "Like this," in one motion she shoved the two inch needling into his arm, there was a sharp hiss as the dial on the end of the syringe dropped lower and lower, emptying the red fluid into his system.

"One more time," Sam inhaled, frustrated, "who the hell are you?"

Castiel jerked upright as his lungs opened and he inhaled deeply.

"Apparently, we are your saviors," Boden snickered. "Welcome to the wasteland."


	2. Wasteland Survival

"I can't believe…" Dean rubbed his palm over his face, "I can't believe this is actually happening."

Boden raised an eyebrow, "well, you need to come to grips with it soon or you three don't stand a chance."

"Whatever the case," Lou stood from where she had been knelt next to Castiel, "we need to get out of the open. Sitting up here on top of this hill makes us targets."

"It looks like a storm is rolling in too," Boden shielded her eyes as she looked into the distance, "we should head back down to the neighborhood, camp there for the night."

The three girls began to make their way back down the dirt road.

"Wait!" Sam called after them, "please, let us camp with you, just for tonight."

Boden snorted, "you've got to be kidding, we don't know you."

"Their friend is still really hurt," Lou looked at Cas, who was still struggling to stand up, "and look at them Bo, they won't last one night out here alone."

"You are too soft Lou," Boden glared at her friend, "it is going to cost us one day."

"I agree with her, Bo," Ellie sighed, "they really do look like they need help."

"Not you too!" she crossed her arms and chewed on her bottom lip, "Fine. BUT, only for one night you hear me?"

"Thank you," Sam turned to help Castiel and began following the girls back down the hill.

"We need to pick one of these houses, I think," Boden turned to Ellie, "it's your turn for perimeter duty."

"And I have first shift," Lou nodded.

"Right," Boden's eyes were on the road when Ellie's hand grabbed her shoulder.

"Down! Down!" the girl hissed at the group, "down now!"

Immediately the two other girls dropped to their knees and looked in the same direction as their friend.

"What?" Dean looked around as he dropped to his knees.

Bo pressed her finger to her lips, "mongrel," she whispered and pointed to the lone dog sniffing around near the edge of the small creek.

"Oh," Dean stood up, "it's just a dog."

"Dean," Sam shook his head, "I think we need to…"

"It's just a dog Sammy," Dean took a step forward, "he is probably just hungry."

"Get down, shit for brains!" Boden growled.

"I am good with dogs," Dean held out his palms, "I have a unique understanding of their minds." He winked at Sam and smiled before continuing to move slowly towards the mongrel.

The dog had stopped moving and locked it's gaze on Dean as he crept through the tall grass towards it.

"What the hell is wrong with him!?" Bo asked Sam her voice hushed but thick with malice.

Sam only shrugged.

"Hey there buddy," Dean smiled and held out a hand to the dog, "oh, he is definitely sick…" he called to the others who remained crouched.

The mongrel began to growl, its huge teeth bared as it hunkered down.

"Shit," Bo gritted her teeth as she slung her shotgun from over her shoulder.

"Bo!" Ellie called to her friend as she rushed through the grass towards the dog that was beginning to lunge at Dean.

A single shot rang out through the otherwise quiet clearing.

"Next time I tell you to get down, stay the hell down!" Bo yelled at Dean, who was sitting in the dirt staring at the dog, blood splattered all over himself.

Bo pulled out a pistol and shot the dog through the head a second time. "Well, you weren't wrong it looks like it was sick, must have been abandoned by its pack."

"Dean!" Sam's voice pulled the man from his shocked stupor. He looked up at his brother who held out a hand for him to take.

"Come on," Bo bent down and heaved the dog's carcass over her shoulder. "We still need to find somewhere to spend the night."

"Where are you taking that?" Sam helped Dean stand up.

"There are twice as many mouths to feed as normal, and this will allow everyone to have meat tonight," she turned and headed back towards the others standing on the road.

"We're going to eat it?" Sam's face contorted.

"You don't have to eat anything," Bo didn't turn back to look at them, "but if you turn this down I can't guarantee you will get any protein again."

Sam only sighed as he followed her back to the others, Dean trailing behind him, trying to wipe the blood from his face.

"This one looks alright," Bo let the dog fall from her shoulder to the concrete outside of a house that looked like it was painted yellow at one point in time.

"I don't remember this neighborhood being here," Sam looked up and down the ruined street. "I am pretty sure this was all just fields."

Lou, who had been helping Castiel, led him into the empty house, "I think you need to rest for tonight, we will take care of everything else, okay?" She lowered him to the ground as easily as she could in what looked like it was the living room. A dirty coffee table was pushed to one side of the room while a broken overturned chair on the opposite end of the room was the only other piece of furniture.

"Thank you," Cas smiled and nodded.

Lou knelt down and placed a canteen next to him, "try to drink this tonight, you don't want to get dehydrated," she held out her hand, "and this…"

Castiel held out his hand and was surprised to feel the weight of grenade fall from her hand.

"I don't think you will need it, but it is better to have it and not need it," she smiled.

"Thank you," he nodded, "I will return it."

"Keep it," she shrugged, "consider it a welcome gift."

Lou stood and rejoined the group outside on the carport, "so, I assume we don't intend to decimate our supplies tonight, right?"

"Yea," Bo looked around at the other houses, "you four should spend some time scavenging, try to find something we can add to this," she kicked the dog, "anything to mask the taste of mongrel."

"You can come with me!" Ellie bounced over to Sam, "we will look through the houses, if you two can get water from the river and look around for some edibles."

"And I will clean this son of a bitch," Bo pulled a knife from her boot.

"Sounds good," Lou slapped Dean on the back, startling him, "let's go."

The pair rounded the building, Dean trailing behind Lou. Once they were out of sight she turned around and held out a pistol, "if you are going to be watching my back, I want you armed."

Dean nodded and took the gun.

Lou sighed, "Don't take her so seriously," she smiled, "she is just looking out for us, we only have each other out here."

"I know," Dean sighed as he looked the gun over, "I just should have known better."

"Don't worry about it," Lou turned around and began walking again, "you'll get a hang of it. From the looks of it you know your way around a gun, and that's step one in wasteland survival."

"And what is step two?" Dean surveyed the open area they were heading into while Lou dug in her bag.

"Don't get dehydrated!" she grinned as she pulled a large collapsible water bag from her army green duffle. "But it's a two part step, always boil water before you drink it," she waded into the wide creek they had walked to and began to fill the bag, "there is all sorts of wicked things that need killed off."

"Got it," Dean stood on the creeks edge.

"Third," she pulled the water bag from the stream. "Well, third could be any number of things…" she chuckled, "always keep your eyes open, eat when you have the chance, your chances are always better when you are not alone, and…" she motioned for him to take the other side, "don't trust anyone." She sealed the bag and leaned it towards him.

Dean held the bag upright while she gathered her duffle. "You sound like you are talking from experience," he squinted his eyes at her.

She smiled at him, "everything is about experience here. The more you have under your belt, mixed with a healthy dose of," she grunted as she lifted the bag, "luck."

They carried the full bag of water back to the house, where Bo was in the process of wrapping the remains of the mongrel in an old tarp she had found.

"I am going to dispose of this, could you start the fire so we can cook all of that?" she motioned to the pile of raw meat laying under the carport.

"Sure thing," Lou and Dean leaned the bag of water up against the house.

"How is she already done cleaning that thing?" Dean's nostril's flared at the stench of the dog meat.

"Bo is very good at what she does," Lou smiled, "she will be gone for a while, can't have the remains attracting anything to where we are."

"Will she be alright on her own?" Dean followed her as she made her way down the sidewalk.

"Of the three of us, Bo is the best at being on her own," Lou began to pick up brush and small sticks. "She was on her own the longest, and will most likely out survive us all."

Dean gathered larger fallen logs, "So, what made you okay with taking us in for the night?"

Lou laughed, "you three looked so lost!"

"Yea, well…" Dean chuckled.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "I know what it is like to be alone and needing help."

"Well, thank you," Dean smiled at her. "I mean it," he stopped walking, "it takes a lot to trust people you have just met."

"Oh, don't get me wrong," she returned his smile, "I don't trust you. I wouldn't have agreed to let you stay if I wasn't sure I could take you out."

Dean stared at her.

"Now, come on," she began moving towards the house, "we need to get this all cooked before the sun goes down, gotta put the fire out before dark."

3333333

"So, uhhh…" Sam nervously glanced around the dilapidated, dirty steel bones of the house they were in, "do you uh, know what year it is?"

"Sure do!" Ellie had crawled into some of the remaining metal cabinets as she looked around for anything that had been left behind. "Hey look!" there was a shaking of loose metal inside a metal tin, "someone's cap's stash. We will have to keep a sharp eye out tonight, there might be people hanging around here."

"So, what year is it?" Sam picked up a picture frame that was sitting on a shelf.

"2287, the year of progress!" she rolled out from under the cabinet and grinned up at him. "What year are you from?"

"2287…" Sam breathed, he wiped the centuries of dirt from the glass of the frame. "It's been…" he paused staring at the faded family picture, "271 years."

"2016!?" Ellie squealed with excitement, "that is so awesome!" She tucked the caps stash into her bag. "So you um," she eyed the Pipboy on his arm, "you really don't know how to work that thing, do you?"

"No," he held up his arm and looked at the screen, "I don't."

"Well, maybe I can help you with that sometime," she smiled softly and turned away to continue digging through the cabinets. When she finished with the lower cabinets she pulled the doors of the upper cabinets open, "I think there are some cans up here." She reached, up on tiptoes.

"Here," Sam appeared behind her, reached up into the cabinet and pulled out the two cans that had been hidden in the back.

"Oh," Ellie looked up, her cheeks tinged with pink, "thank you."

"No problem," Sam looked at the cans, "Pork n' Beans."

"Those we can save!" Ellie grinned, "Bo will like that."

"Wait," Sam reached back into the cabinet, there is something else up here too. He pulled down a large box from the cabinet.

"Jack-pot!" Ellie's eye lit up, "Insta-mash. Perfect with random meat, the salt alone in this will help cover up the flavor of dog!"

Sam chuckled, "lucky us."

"Luck is a big part of survival here," Ellie took the box from him, "don't look a gift Giddy-Up Buttercup in the mouth." She bounded towards the door.

"Wait," Sam followed her, "what?"

"You know… a Giddy-Up…" she was cut off by the crackling of a Geiger counter coming from Sam's arm.

"What the…" Sam held the Pipboy up, a small red light flashed on the side as the crackling got louder.

"A radiation storm is coming," Ellie leaned out the door way and looked at the sky, "we should get back to the others, maybe I can get Bo to share her Rad-X."

Sam only frowned, "the sky is turning green."

"It's the radiation," Ellie closed her eyes and listened to the distant thunder, "I have always found the green comforting, ever since I was a child."

"It's radiation…" Sam's voice was filled with concern and confusion.

Ellie chuckled, "yea. Radiation storms roll in off the Green Sea all the time, and I don't know how to explain it… the change in air pressure is comforting, like a blanket."

Sam smiled, "Thanks, for you know…" he gestured around himself, his arms out wide, "I don't know what we would have done if we were left alone."

"Oh, it's no problem," she motioned to the pair across the street from where they were, "Lou is really the only one who can convince Bo of anything, set in her ways, that one."

Sam watched Lou pick up a large log and drop it on top of the pile Dean was already carrying. He snickered, "well thanks anyway, we all really appreciate it."

"Yea," Ellie shifted her weight away from the door frame and back to her own two feet, "just try and pull your own weight tonight, we might be able to convince Bo to let you travel all the way to Diamond City with us."

"Sure thing," Sam followed her down the cement walk and back across the street.

"Look what we found!" she held the box up in the air.

"Oh man, that's perfect!" Lou mirrored the girl's excitement.

"I also found a cap stash," Ellie's voice grew dim, "we will have to set up a strong parameter tonight before we sleep."

"I figured as much," Lou sighed, "this place is too nice for someone to have not already claimed it as their own."

The meat was almost all cooked by the time Boden returned. "We are going to have to head out early," she frowned at the four of them sitting around in the middle of the road, "there is raider activity just east of here, if it was just us, I wouldn't even want to stay the night."

"Their friend needs at least a night to rest," Lou looked back to the house where Castiel was resting.

"Hey Bo!" Ellie dug through her bag, "I need to trade with you."

"What is it you need?" Bo let her bag fall from her shoulder.

"I will trade you my new socks for five of your Rad-X pills," Ellie held up the pair of clean wool socks.

"Oh man," Bo's eyes lit up, "you do know how to get a girl going."

Dean chuckled.

"Something funny, dipshit?" Bo glared at him. "Give it a week out here tromping around and I'd like to see you turn down a new pair of socks!"

"It's true," Lou shrugged, "socks are a big deal. The fact that Ellie is willing to part with them shows that she is serious about the trade."

"Only five pills?" Bo raised her eyebrow as she counted them out of the pill bottle.

"Yup!" Ellie grinned.

"Done." Bo held out her hand with the pills.

The girls exchanged their goods and Ellie immediately handed the pills out, one each.

"I'll go check on your friend," Lou stood up and took the last pill from Ellie.

"It's starting to get dark," Bo looked around, "and that storm is finally here."

A few drops of water fell from the sky, darkening the cement they landed on. "Let's get out of the rain," she helped them carry the meat into the small yellow house.

"Here," Lou handed the pill to Castiel, who was still sitting on the floor, "this will keep the storm from making you sick."

"Thank you," the man's eyes looked up to the others as they walked in through the front door, "I am afraid I haven't been much help."

"That's alright Cas," Dean smiled at his friend, "you just focus on getting better, I don't want to have to carry your ass tomorrow."

"Of course," Cas gave him a small smile, "I will do my best."

33333

"That has got to be the worst thing I have ever eaten," Dean wiped his mouth and leaned back.

"Eh," Ellie shrugged, "mirelurk is worse."

"Oh my god," Lou scrunched up her face, "don't even talk about mirelurk. I know it's some of the best protein you can get out here, but ugh."

"Mirelurk?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"I am sure we will be able to show you one sometime," Ellie smiled as she stood up and picked up her bag. "I am going to go set up the parameter so we can start getting some sleep, Bo will want to leave shortly after sunrise."

"Damn straight," Bo smiled, "I want to make it back home tomorrow."

"Wait, Ellie," Lou dug through her bag, pulling out some metal disks the size of plates she handed them to Ellie, "here, use these too. I would rather part with some of my stash than risk having a gap they can slip through."

"Woah," Dean threw his arms up the in air, "are those land mines?"

"Yea," Ellie tucked them into her bag, "they are to keep us safe while we sleep."

"You people are crazy…" he shook his head, his eyes wide.

"But we're alive," Bo grinned. "Good night kids, I will see your lovely faces in three hours."

"Go ahead and get some sleep," Lou waved her hands at the boys in the dark. "I have the first watch."

"Yea," Dean laid down and tried to get comfortable on the hard, cold floor, "sleep, right."

"Are you not going to lay down?" Lou looked at Castiel who was still sitting up, leaning against the wall.

"I don't even know if I could sleep if I tried," Castiel sighed, "I am not very good at being a human."

Lou laughed as she pushed herself up from the floor, "sometimes I feel that way too." She walked across the room and sat down next to him. "I think we all feel that way from time to time."

"I haven't been a human as long as the rest of you," Castiel looked at her, "so I am not as well practiced."

She laughed again, "you sure are different."

"Hey," Ellie came back in, "no getting cozy you two."

"Go to sleep," Lou flipped her off.

"Night lady," Ellie smiled.

"Night girl," Lou smiled back.


	3. A Long Walk

Castiel's shoulder hurt, no matter how he shifted, there was no relieving the pain of laying on the cold, hard ground. With a heavy sigh he pushed himself up and opened his eyes. It was a little lighter than he remembered when he laid down, but the chill from the night still hung in the air. Looking around it was obvious that everyone was still asleep. Dean was snoring softly in the corner while everyone else was wrapped in the thin blankets the girls had provided. He counted the bodies, there was one missing. He craned his neck to see the rest of the room, and found her sitting in the doorway to outside, leaning against the frame. His legs ached as he pushed himself up, and quietly made his way over to her.

"I thought you took first shift," he smiled down at her.

She looked up at him, startled. Her hands had clamped down on her rifle, and her finger was on the trigger.

"Whoa," he held up his hands, "I didn't mean to startle you."

She relaxed, "sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts." She set the gun back down, "I should've heard you approaching."

He slowly lowered himself to the ground next to her.

"You feeling better?" she winced in sympathy watching him struggle.

"Despite what it may seem," he finally sat down, "yes."

"Good," she rested her cheek against the gun, "then it wasn't a wasted stimpak."

"Anything out there?" he looked out towards the other empty homes on the street.

"A ragstag and his doe came through about an hour ago," she pointed towards the blue house across from them, "they left that way. Other than that, nothing. But I think the storm we got last night would've kept most of the critters and people out of the night air."

The pair sat in silence as the sky slowly grew brighter.

"I should wake everyone up," she sighed, "if we don't get moving by sunrise, Bo will be angry. And trust me, you don't want to start the day with her angry."

Castiel stared at the girl, his face serious, "thank you."

She paused in her adjustment to stand up, "what for?"

"Helping us," he rubbed his arm where she had injected him, "helping me."

"This place is a real shit hole, and it's hard for seasoned veterans of the wasteland to get by," she patted him on the shoulder, "if we don't do everything we can to make it better, then who will?"

"Still, you didn't have to help us," he watched her stand up.

"Yes I did," her face grew serious, "you will probably never know why, but just know that I did have to help you."

He nodded.

"Time to get up!" she hollered as she kicked Ellie's boots, "gotta get up and moving, so we can make it back to civilization today!"

Ellie groaned, "just five more minutes, please!"

Dean jerked awake, "I'm here!" he looked around, "I'm awake!"

"Shut up, Dean," Sam rubbed his neck as he sat up slowly.

Bo groaned, but sat up, "she's right," she twisted her back, warming up her muscles. "If we don't want to have to camp out again tonight, we need to get movin' asap."

"I'll go take down the parameter for you Ellie," Lou slung her rifle over her back.

"Thanks Lou!" the sleepy girl grinned, "I'll carry those land mines for you as payment."

"I will take you up on that!" Lou grinned before ducking out of the doorway.

"So, how far are we walking today?" Dean stretched his arms into the air.

"Oh, no…" Bo shook her head, "I told you yesterday, it was only for one night!" She finished pulling on her boots.

"Oh, c'mon Bo!" Ellie whined, "they were helpful last night, and look at them!" she waved a hand in the air, "they won't make it to Arlington, let alone anywhere they will be safe!"

Bo glared at Ellie, "I swear to GOD, if one of them causes any trouble, I am holding YOU and LOU personally responsible!"

"Quit yelling in there!" they heard Lou's muffled voice from outside.

"Shut up!" Bo stuffed her blanket into her bag and pushed herself up from the floor. Dean's eyes widened as she crossed the room and stopped in front of him, "I assume Lou gave you a gun."

He nodded.

"Do you know how to use it?" her jaw tightened.

He nodded again.

"When I say get down, you get down," she leaned into his face, "when I say shut up, you shut up."

He nodded again.

"That goes for all of you," she swung back around looking at Castiel and Sam.

"Bo calm down, you are going to rattle them so bad they'll become a liability," Lou stuck her head in through the doorway, "now, if you're all done alerting everything within a half mile radius that we're here, we're ready to head out."

Bo slung her bag over her back and stuck her chin out before turning around and stomping out of the house.

They all gathered on the small carport as the girls all adjusted their gear.

"Here," Dean held out a hand, "I can carry that duffle for you."

Lou looked up from where she had been wrapping up a large bundle in waterproof fabric, "oh, are you sure?" she smiled.

"Yea," he returned her smile.

"Alright," she stood up and slung the wrapped bundle onto her back, next to her rifle. "We have to show Bo how useful you can be, right?" she winked at him.

"I'll carry the leftover meat," Sam slung the pack from the night before over his shoulder.

"I can help too," Castiel offered.

"No, I think you would do better to just keep working on getting better," Ellie smiled and handed him a small pistol, "but you can take this, and help fight of any baddies."

Castiel smiled, "thank you."

"Alright, molerats, let's head out of here," Bo slipped on her black aviators, "I want to sleep in my own bed tonight."

"So," Dean whispered to Lou, "how far are we going today?"

"Um," she clicked her tongue a few times, "from what I am guessing, at least sixteen miles."

"Sixteen miles!?" Dean's voice raised in pitch.

"That's not too bad," Sam smiled.

* * *

The group crouched up against the wall; Bo in front, followed by Ellie and Sam, Dean right behind them, and Lou with Castiel taking up the rear. Bo motioned for them to all stay low as she peeked around the edge of the boarded up house.

"Why are we moving so slow?" Castiel asked Lou.

"This area is known for feral ghouls, and if we can avoid them it's better than trying to fight our way through them," she replied, keeping an eye on Bo.

Bo waved them on to the next building. The group moved in this manner from building to building along what was obviously a once prosperous residential area.

After about twenty minutes of the intense shuffling from one building to another, Bo motioned for them to sit down and pulled out a canteen.

"Here," Ellie said quietly as she handed Sam her own bottle of water.

"Thank you," he nodded and gave her a small smile.

"I have an extra one you two can share," Lou handed a full canteen to Castiel and glanced at Dean, "we are almost out of ghoul territory."

"What is a ghoul, exactly?" Dean accepted the canteen from Castiel and swallowed a mouthful himself.

"That is a long story," Lou tucked her own canteen away, "I will tell you later."

"Alright, let's get going," Bo whispered, "once we get to Diamond City we can stop long enough for food."

The group stood back up and worked their way down the final street of the residential area. Bo leaned around the corner of the second to the last building, but quickly jerked back, her back pressed firmly into the wall. She looked at Lou, her eyes wide.

Holding her right hand up, Lou motioned across the street once and then in the direction they were headed.

Bo glanced at the others in their party and shook her head. Holding up her right hand, Bo made an L shape motioned across the street once, down the street in the direction they were going twice and then pointed her thumb up. Bringing her hand down, her open palm facing the ground she motioned in a circle and then pointed to the ground.

Lou nodded before quickly making her way across the street and behind the buildings on the other side.

"What is going on?" Dean leaned in and asked Ellie.

Ellie pressed her finger to her lips, "there is something over there and Bo sent Lou to take care of it. Whatever it is, it is too close for us to sneak past, and we should be ready for it to come around the side of the building." She let her assault rifle fall from her shoulder and held it ready.

It was quiet, so quiet that when the crack was heard overhead it startled all of them.

Bo held her hand out, five fingers up.

There was a second crack.

Four fingers.

A third crack.

Three fingers.

A fourth crack.

Bo held her rifle up and began to back away from the edge of the building.

The gurgling moan that came from the thing that stumbled out from between the two houses was unnerving. The shriveled humanoid was lumbering towards them, it's mouth hanging open and an arm missing. It seemed to lock onto Ellie as it launched itself towards her at unbelievable speed, plowing her into the ground.

"Z… z… zombie!" Dean yelled as he held up his pistol.

There was a bang from Bo's rifle as she shot at another one coming around the corner of the building. "Shoot it!" Bo yelled as she rounded the corner, standing between the two buildings and fired off two more shots.

A fifth crack resounded through the air as the head of the monster on top of Ellie exploded.

"Dean!" Castiel shouted as a third one pushed past Bo and ran towards the brothers.

Dean fired twice at the approaching threat, removing one of its legs. The thing tumbled to the ground, continuing to reach for Dean and Sam.

"Ugh, what are these things?" Sam frowned as he fired two shots into it's head.

"Ghouls," Bo sighed heavily as she pulled Ellie to her feet. "I don't see any more, but we need to wait quietly until Lou comes back to be sure.

The group returned to standing against the building, waiting. Only two more of the loud cracks were heard followed by a length of tense silence before they saw Lou emerge from behind one of the buildings and cross the street towards them.

"That's all of them," she smiled at Bo, "from what I could tell we are actually clear for a while, until we get to the city at least."

"Good," Bo's shoulders relaxed and a small smile appeared on her lips, "good."

"Alright, so," Dean kicked the lifeless body of the withered green thing. "Now you get to tell us what the hell these things are exactly. Zombies, right? I vote zombies."

"Not exactly," Ellie slung her gun back over her shoulder, "zombies are humans who've died, and come back right? I read about them once when I was little in a Grognak comic book."

"So, these things aren't zombies?" Dean looked back at the corpses.

"No, they are humans that have been affected by the radiation that can be found in various areas around the wasteland. Their brains rot, leading to madness, and they try to kill anything that moves," Ellie leaned over and turned the body at Dean's feet over.

"They look like monsters," Dean's face scrunched up.

"They are not monsters," Lou's voice was serious, "they are victims, they should have our pity."

Silence fell over the group.

"Alright," Bo turned around, "we are only a couple of hours away from Diamond City, and I am hungry, so let's get going."

* * *

"Welcome to the biggest piece of civilization in the Commonwealth," Ellie spread her arms out wide, "Diamond City."

"Wait," Dean frowned, looking at the statue in front of them, "this is Fenway Park."

"As in," Sam smiled, "the Boston Red Socks?"

"Isn't Old Cronin always going on about the Boston Red Socks?" Lou raised her eyebrows.

"Yea, they played baseball, right?" Ellie looked at Bo.

"Oh man, I have always thought baseball sounded like fun," Bo grinned, "meeting a whole other team of people, and seeing who can beat the other team to death first, sounds like my kind of game." She raised her arms and mimicked swinging an invisible bat.

"What?!" Dean looked at the three girls in disbelief, "that isn't baseball at all!"

"Sure it is!" Bo nodded her head excitedly, "they used baseball bats, and the best ones were called Swatters, Cronin sells some in the marketplace."

"I've never bought one," Lou sighed, "feels like you would just need to get too close to use one for my comfort."

"Oh man," Bo's eyes were full of fire, "there is nothing like the feeling of bashing in the skull of something that was trying to kill you."

"Oh my god," Dean eyes were wide.

Sam snickered.

"I am confused," Castiel frowned, "I thought I understood baseball, but I don't remember anyone being beat to death."

"Let's just," Dean began walking towards the stadium, "let's just get inside so we can eat, please."

The group walked through the entrance and only paused briefly for Dean to chuckle at the guards in their umpire gear.

"This is…" Sam paused and looked at the small town that had been built into the stands and through the field of the stadium, "amazing."

"What is?" Ellie stopped and looked down at the buildings.

"All of these people, crammed in here," Sam motioned to stands and the marketplace below, "people are trying to survive, despite everything going on out there."

"I guess so," Ellie watched the rest of the group descend the stairs, "but don't let all the flashy buildings and propaganda pull you in, this isn't a good place."

"Oh," he tensed up, looking around nervously.

"No," she smiled, "not like that."

"Oh," he relaxed.

"It's just not a good place to live," her face was downcast. "But," she perked up, "it is the best place to get lunch!"

"Get your free copy of the newest issue of Publick Occurrences here!" the girl called out as the group passed. "Get it before we run out!"

"Hey Nat!" Ellie smiled at the girl, "long time no see!"

"Elenore!" the girl hopped down from her wooden box and hugged her, "it has been too long! Why don't you come back to visit more often?"

"Oh, you know," Ellie wrapped her arms around the girl, "life gets busy."

"Yea, yea," the girl pulled away and held out a copy of the small paper she had been handing out. "Here, take a copy."

"What's going on in the Commonwealth that we need to know about?" She took the paper and glanced it over.

"Some Super Mutants have moved in just outside of the patrol zone," Nat flipped the first page over, "the Mayor is looking for someone to take them out. We have already lost several security troops trying to clear them out."

"What are Super Mutants?" Sam glanced at the paper over Ellie's shoulder.

"Monsters," Nat looked at Sam, her eyes focused on the bright blue jumpsuit. "What are you wearing?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Ellie grinned at Nat and pushed Sam forward, "we need to catch up with the others. Thanks for the paper, Nat!" She waved as she pushed Sam towards the marketplace.

"What...?" Sam craned his head around to wave at the girl who just stared as they walked away. "What are you doing?"

"You don't want too much attention from them, they will make a story out of just about anything," she continued to push him forward. "They are nice people, just always itching for a new story."

"Oh," Sam leaned forward, "you can stop now, I'm capable of walking for myself."

Ellie chuckled, "sorry."

The pair approached the outdoor seating for the small noodle shop where the others had found places to sit.

"I promise," Lou was whispering excitedly to Dean and Cas, "this will be the best thing you've ever eaten!"

"Hey, Takahashi!" Bo waved an arm in the air, "over here!"

The tall robot slowly with a chef's hat perched on top made it's way over to where they had sat down.

"What," Dean leaned back on his stool, "what is that?"

"What do you mean, 'what is that?'?" Bo scrunched her face at him, "don't tell me you have never seen a Protectron."

"You know," Ellie rested her finger on her chin, "they wouldn't have seen most of the tech that we have now that I think about it…"

"What do you mean?" Bo turned in her seat to look at the pair that was standing behind them.

"Well, Sam and I figured out yesterday that they're from almost 272 years ago!" Ellie nodded, "and given that most of the advancements in any field filled with technology, such as robotics, medical, military, and even just home technology didn't start taking off until about 2037 with the first release of household robots, it would make sense that they haven't seen… well, most of the tech that was released to the public after when they were placed in the vault," she inhaled deeply, a huge grin on her face.

"My god," Bo just gaped at the other girl, "you are a HUGE nerd."

"Wait, wait, wait," Dean threw his arms in the air, "what did you say about 275 years ago?"

"We were cryogenically frozen," Sam sat down next to Dean, "and left there for 271 years. Which is rather fascinating in itself, as I have never heard of a case of successful cryo-freezing."

"You sound like a huge nerd too," Bo turned back around in her chair.

"Oh, he is," Dean slouched on the counter.

The robot finally arrived in front of the group. "Nan-ni shimasho-ka?" the robot stood in front of them.

"I would love one," Bo pulled a metal tin from her bag and counted out twenty of the old, crushed bottle caps.

The robot collected the caps before placing a bowl filled with hot noodles and broth on the counter in front of her.

"Us too, Takahashi!" Ellie waved her arm in the air.

"Nan-ni shimasho-ka?" the robot turned towards them.

"Two please!" Ellie placed a whole bag of caps on the counter.

Again, the robot collected the caps and placed two bowls of noodles on the counter.

Ellie slid one to Sam, "here you go, enjoy!"

"Three please, Takahashi," Lou pushed the pile of caps she had counted out previously over the counter to the robot.

"Nan-ni shimasho-ka?" the robot slowly collected them.

"Thank you," Lou smiled and waited for the bowls to be presented before sliding one to both Cas and Dean. "Eat up!" she smiled.

Dean smelled the hot broth, "this smells familiar."

"Oh, it's sooo goood!" Bo closed her eyes as she ate her noodles.

"It's like ramen…" Sam smiled as he finished his first bite.

"Ramen?" Castiel raised an eyebrow.

"Yea, like, instant noodles," Sam took another bite.

The robot turned and began to walk off, the gears inside his torso whirring.

"Oh my god," Dean swallowed his first bite, "this is delicious."

"Power noodles are the best thing you can buy fresh in the whole commonwealth," Ellie nodded in agreement.

Dean's face was buried in his bowl as he gulped down the broth and noodles. Dropping the bowl to the counter he gasped for breath.

"Can I…" he looked at Lou, "can I have another one?"

Lou laughed, "sure." She pulled her own tin from her bag, "Takahashi!"

The robot turned to face them.

"One more, please," Lou placed the caps on the counter, "we have a long walk still."


	4. Home Is Where Your Bot Is

"I don't remember Boston being this cramped," Sam looked up at the looming, empty skyscrapers.

"A lot of the technological advancements we were talking about earlier came out of CIT, making way for many of the major corporations to build headquarters here, including Vault-Tec, the makers of the vault you guys were in," Ellie's grip on her rifle tightened, "I don't like them." She continued to stare at the buildings as they walked down the deserted streets.

"There _is_ something unnerving about them," Sam took a larger step, so he was closer to her.

"They've always made me feel like there is someone up there watching me, just waiting for my back to be turned," her eyes left the buildings and looked up at Sam.

"Well, that's part of what is good about being in a large group right?" he offered a comforting smile, "we can look out for each other."

"Yeah, well if we had left you idiots in Diamond City like I thought the plan was, we would be able to move a lot quieter, and might even be home by now," Bo growled at the talking pair.

"Bo," Lou sighed, "we voted, it was two to one…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" she gritted her jaw.

"And…?" Lou prompted her friend.

Bo sighed heavily, "once a vote is made, everyone accepts the outcome, no questions."

"That was your rule," Lou smiled.

"Never thought the bastard would come back to bite me in the ass so hard." She caught Dean out of the corner of her sight, "hey!" she hissed at him, "don't go somewhere we can see you!"

"Oh," Dean backed away from the doorway he was crouched in, "I just thought maybe there would be something in there."

"That's fine," Lou joined him near the doorway, "but she is right, if you go out of sight we might not realize something happened to you."

"I know," Dean frowned, "I wasn't going to go in alone."

"Alright then," Lou smiled, "let's go take a look."

"There is no chance there's anything left in there," Bo grumbled as she sat down on the sidewalk.

"We should rest while they're in there," Ellie sat next to Bo, "we are almost home though." She craned her neck to look down the road, "only a couples miles left."

Sam joined Ellie on the sidewalk, "Cas?" he glanced up at the angel who was trying to look in one of the boarded up windows of the building Dean and Lou had gone into.

"I should have gone in with them," the angel gave up and sat down.

"They'll be alright," Ellie handed them water, "Lou knows what she is doing. The only person better suited to go in there would be Boden."

Bo chuckled to herself.

The four sat in silence for almost twenty minutes before Castiel broke the silence.

"I am going in to find them," he stood up.

"They're fine," Bo rolled her eyes.

"It's been too long…" Castiel began to protest but was interrupted by Lou appearing in the doorway.

"Sorry that took so long," Lou grinned, "Dean found a safe that needed opened."

"Really?" Ellie elbowed Bo. "What was in it?"

"Someone's cap stash, and a 10mm pistol," Lou held up the metal tin and shook it, "seems like someone was hiding their backup goodies here."

"Good find!" Ellie grinned at Dean who emerged from behind Lou.

"Here," Lou handed him the tin, "you found them, they're yours."

"You picked the lock," he looked at her, "you should get some of it too."

"Nah," she winked at him, "you keep it."

"Let's go, radroaches, I wanna get home," Bo stood up and began walking down the street again.

"Yeah, we need to get back before it gets dark," Lou followed her, "this isn't the place to be when the sun goes down."

"What time is it? What time is it?" Ellie pulled on Sam's Pip-Boy.

"Um," Sam pressed a small black button, causing the screen to flicker, "I don't know."

"Well, we have about…" Ellie looked up at the sky, "an hour of sun left." She looked at the little green and black screen. She reached up and turned the top dial, the screen flickered again and a small map appeared. "Ah, there, it's 7:00. So the sun sets at about 8:00!" she grinned from ear to ear.

"How did you do that?" Sam looked closer at the screen.

"We will take a better look at it when we get home," she began to follow the group, "we'll make a real vault dweller out of you yet."

* * *

" _This_ is where you live?" Dean leaned back staring up at the huge skyscraper in front of them.

"Sure is," Bo walked towards the front doors. "Oh, and you see that little piece of rebar there?" she pointed to a piece of the twisted metal about a foot long sticking out of some concrete.

"Yeah, what about it?" Dean followed her.

"Those are all around the outside and inside of the building," she stepped through the entrance, the doors hanging useless on their hinges, "they mark where we have buried landmines, so be careful."

"Not much to look at, is it?" Dean stopped in what used to be a gigantic foyer to the building. The wallpaper was peeling down the walls, and the once red carpet had faded a long time ago.

"That's the point," Lou passed Dean, "it's supposed to look abandoned. Less it looks like someone lives here, less likely you are to get raided."

"Makes sense," Sam nodded passing Dean as well.

The group crossed the lobby making their way to the elevators to the right side of the lobby.

"Does that even still work?" Sam looked around the lobby as Bo pressed the button to call the car.

A hissing and popping from the intercom by the button console prevented Sam from getting an answer.

"What is the music of life?" an electronic voice came over the intercom.

"It's us Handsy, skip the bull-shit and just let us up," Bo sighed.

"That is incorrect, the elevator car will not be deployed," the voice replied followed by silence.

"Damn it, Ellie!" Bo glared at the grinning girl, "I hate your fucking robot, I'm tired and I just want to get home."

"If you'd just answer the question, he would send the elevator," Ellie continued to grin.

Bo angrily pressed the button again.

"What is the music of life?" the voice asked again.

Bo rolled her eyes and sighed deeply, "silence, my brother."

"Very good, ma'am, the car is on the way," the voice replied before cutting off again.

"What is that from?" Sam rubbed his chin, "it sounded familiar."

"It's from a comic I read when I was little," Ellie smiled up at him, "added precaution, you know."

The elevator creaked as it settled and opened the doors for them.

"I don't think…" Dean took a step back, "how about you just tell us what floor to meet you on, and we will take the stairs."

"Dean, I don't think…" Sam began.

"You can if you'd like," Bo stepped into the car, "but all the stairwells are collapsed at the third floor, and we are going to twenty-four."

"Come on," Lou patted him on the shoulder, "it's perfectly safe, I promise."

She followed Ellie, Sam, and Castiel onto the elevator.

"This is insane…" Dean mumbled as he joined them.

The elevator lurched as it began to slowly climb the shaft. It rocked back and forth, the bare bulb hanging from the ceiling seemed to pop and fizzle in time with each lurch. By the time they reached the twenty-fourth floor, all the color had drained from Dean's face.

"See?" Lou smiled at him as the doors shuddered open, "perfectly safe."

"Welcome home, ma'am!" a cheerful voice with a thick English accent called from the other room.

"Thank you, Handsy!" Ellie set her bag down by the elevator door and sighed heavily. "It's good to be home."

"Hell yeah it is," Bo grinned as she hurried across the room and through a doorway, "I'll see you suckers later."

"Dinner in an hour," Lou called after her.

"Roger!" Bo's muffled voice could be heard from beyond the walls.

The guys slowly filed out of the elevator, taking in their surroundings.

"This looks like it was a waiting area," Sam glanced around the large room, his eyes resting on the receiving desk opposite the elevator.

"Yeah?" Lou set her bag and the wrapped bundle on the desk. "Ellie thinks it was an extension of Robco before the bombs fell."

"I don't think it was," Ellie sighed, "I _know_ it was."

Lou chuckled, "right."

"Welcome home Miss Louise!" the accented voice called again as a slow moving robot rounded the corner.

"Hello, Handsy," Lou was pulling items out of her back and sorting them on the desk.

"Miss Elenore," the robot's frame slowly began to turn towards Ellie, but froze when its sensors picked up the three men clumped in front of the open elevator. "Intruders!" the mechanical voice raised in pitch as the machine gun end at the end of its right arm began to spin.

"Abort!" Lou screamed, "abort, abort!"

"Handsy!" Ellie jumped between the robot and the guys, "initiate protocol 46, Newcomer Input."

The machine gun slowed to a stop as the arm lowered back down, "protocol initiated, awaiting Input."

"Handsy, input three new profiles, security level…" Ellie glanced back at the three men before returning to the robot, "blue."

"Profile four created, input identifier," the robot stood motionless as it awaited information.

Ellie motioned for Dean to speak. "Say your name, full name is best," she whispered

"Uh, Dean," he hesitated, "Dean Winchester."

"Input received, profile identifier, Uh Dean Dean Winchester saved."

"Override profile identifier," Ellie rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger.

"Profile identifier overridden, awaiting profile identifier input," the robot whirred, the motion could be seen through the clear covering on its shoulders.

Ellie motioned again.

"Dean Winchester," Dean stated, his voice stern.

"Input received, profile identifier, Dean Winchester saved," there was a pause, "input pronoun preference."

"Male, or female…" Ellie whispered.

"Male, for sure male," Dean smiled, "all male."

"Input received, pronoun preference saved for profile, Dean Winchester."

"You next," Ellie motioned at Sam.

"Profile five created, input identifier."

"Sam Winchester." Sam shrugged.

Ellie gave him a grin and a thumbs up.

"Input received, profile identifier, Sam Winchester saved. Input pronoun preference."

"Male," Sam nodded.

"Input received, pronoun preference saved for profile, Sam Winchester."

"Now you," Ellie smiled and motioned at Castiel.

"Profile six created, input identifier."

Castiel cleared his throat, "Castiel."

"Input received, profile identifier, Castiel saved. Input pronoun preference."

Silence.

Lou put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at the angel.

"Input received, profile identifier, Castiel saved. Input pronoun preference," the robot repeated.

"Neither, I am not male or female," Castiel shifted on his feet.

"Response not recorded, input invalid, awaiting pronoun preference input for profile, Castiel."

"I am not…" Castiel was interrupted by Dean grabbing his arm.

"Just tell the robot what to call you," Dean whispered, "so we can get this over with."

"Dean, you know I am not innately male or female, as an angel I…" Castiel was cut off by Sam this time.

"I think the robot only has two input values for this command, Cas." Sam smiled an encouraging half smile, "maybe you could go with the gender of your vessel."

"Jimmy identified himself as a human male," Castiel looked down at his body, "I suppose in this case it is not untrue that I am a human male."

"Awaiting pronoun preference input for profile, Castiel," the robot repeated.

"Male," Castiel answered.

"Input received, pronoun preference saved for profile, Castiel," the robot began to move again, walking slowly towards the three men. "Welcome home, Sirs."

"Uhhh," Dean grimaced as the robot approached him and began to reach an arm out to him, "thanks." Dean extended his arm for a handshake.

The robot's claw moved past Dean's extended hand and around to behind him, "good job!" the robot exclaimed as it gave Dean one quick swat on the butt.

"What the!?" Dean jumped back and raised both hands in the air.

Lou erupted in laughter.

"No, no, no, no…" Sam held his hands up and began to back away as the robot turned towards him.

"Handsy, you can skip the formalities," Ellie giggled.

"Very good Miss Elenore," the robot began to whirr again as it turned back to face her. "While you were out there was a glitch in the power grid. No security features were affected, however, I believe the water heater is offline."

"Thanks Handsy," Ellie sighed as she opened her bag and began to pull items out, "I hope no one had their heart set on a shower tonight, the water heater is going to have to wait until tomorrow."

"What was that?" Dean was still standing with his arms in the air.

Lou chuckled, "Mr. Hansy is a bit of a…" she paused, "project."

"Handsy is just fine the way he is," Ellie sniffed.

"When we first found this place she found that old Protectron bot still in its power station," Lou began to pile some of the items back into her bag. "The only thing she couldn't manage to fix was the fried personality-interface card. The only viable one she was able to find was a card from a Mr. Handy, the bots made for helping in homes a long time ago."

"It was an excellent find!" Ellie's eyes lit up, "the Mr. Handy bots are rare to find in a semi-functioning state anymore, and to have one that wasn't owned with a functioning personality card was amazing luck!"

"But," Lou sighed, "there was a problem getting the card to fit."

"It took some finesse," Ellie grinned.

"She used a hammer," Lou rolled her eyes, "it messed up some of the basic interaction parts of his personality matrix. If you don't tell him that he can forgo the formal greeting with you, that's how he will greet you every time."

"How do I do that?" Dean frowned.

"Just tell him," Lou smiled, "now that the three of you have profiles with him, he will respond to you like he does us."

"Mostly," Ellie zipped her bag up, "you only have blue level clearance, so you can't alter anything outside of your personal interaction specifications."

"That's okay," Sam gave her a half smile, "thank you for everything you guys have done for us."

"People look out for people out here," Lou zipped her bag up as well, "it's the right thing to do."

"Yeah, but you have shared your food, kept us alive, and now you've invited us into your home," Sam walked over to Ellie and took her hand in his, "seriously, thank you."

"Oh," Ellie's cheeks turned red, "like Lou said," she pulled her hand from his and quickly made her way across the room to where Lou stood, "it's the right thing to do."

"We will go make dinner," Lou took Ellie's arm in her own, "you three make yourselves at home. The whole floor is ours, with a few exceptions."

"Basically," Ellie grinned, "if a door doesn't open, it's not meant to."

The two girls turned and disappeared through the door way.

"Okay, okay, okay," Dean rubbed his temples, "does anyone else understand any of what we have been through today?"

Castiel shrugged, "I must admit, I have a hard time keeping up with what is going on with humans most of the time anyway."

"You _are_ a human now, Cas," Dean frowned, "no more of this, 'I am not this,' and 'you humans' crap, alright?"

The angel nodded.

"What about you Sammy?" Dean held his arms out, "are you managing to understand all of this?"

Sam also shrugged, "I don't really understand most of it, but that's how most of our lives have been Dean, always surrounded by things we don't really understand."

"No," Dean pointed firmly at Sam's chest, "I understand vampires, and werewolves, and, and, and even demons. I understand demons, Sammy, but I don't understand any of this…" he motioned to the room around them.

"It's survival, Dean," Sam made his way over to where Lou had laid her items out on the table, "pure and simple survival. I don't understand a lot of the jargon, but I understand the struggle to stay alive. I can see it in their faces, and the faces of those people living in Diamond City…"

"Fenway Park," Dean corrected him.

Sam sighed, "I recognize the fight to survive, I just figure the details we will pick up along the way."

"You don't think we can find a way home, do you?" Dean stared at his brother.

"Dean, look around," Sam pointed to a dirty window, "there is _nothing_ anymore. I don't even know if any of the supernatural things we are used to hunting are still around. I don't see a way home… all I see now is survival, which like I said before, isn't that different from how we lived back home."

"Unbelievable," Dean shook his head, "Cas, are you buying this?"

"It does seem as though a way home is impossible," Castiel looked at the items Lou had laid out, his fingers lightly touching each item, "even as a human I should be able to sense any angels around, and I haven't felt anything."

"Come on," Sam patted Dean's shoulder, "let's look around, see if we can find anything we can make sense of."

Dean turned around to follow his brother before pausing at the table the other two had been standing next to. The items on the table looked all too familiar, the countless amounts and kinds of ammo, the barrage of weapons, and the non-perishable foods. Perhaps Sam was more right than he cared to admit, survival had always been a large part of their lives.

* * *

"I am sorry we don't have enough sleeping bags," Lou unrolled the spare rolled up sleeping bag, "we really only anticipated it being a backup for one of us. Honestly, we were lucky to have that spare mattress as well."

"They will work just fine," Sam smiled, "thank you."

"Yes," Castiel gave her a small smile as well, "thank you."

"Alright nerds," Ellie leaned on the doorway, the single lit lantern in her hand, "technically it's lights out after dark, but we are making an exception for you. I would suggest getting it out as soon as you can manage though."

"If you need light for anything though," Lou joined her in the doorway, "the room with the double doors will have a fire going all night. There aren't any windows in there so we are able to keep light going in it all night."

"Noted," Dean nodded at the two girls, "we really appreciate you guys."

"Just know that we will put you to work," Ellie grinned, "you three gotta earn your keep."

"Lights out!" Bo yelled from down the hall, "if I can't have lights on in my room to read my Silver Shroud comics, then you radroaches don't get light in yours!"

Lou sighed, "see you in the morning."

"Night," Dean winked at her.

Once the girls were out of sight Sam shoved his brother. "No, Dean," Sam glared at him, "just no."

"What?" Dean shrugged.

"We live with them!" Sam whispered angrily, "the last thing we need is for you to mess around with one of them and get us all kicked out."

"Or worse," Cas sat down on the floor, "I think in the case of those girls, it would be worse than just getting kicked out."

Sam pointed at Cas in agreement.

"Alright, alright," Dean held his hands up in the air, "I hear ya, loud and clear."

"Good," Sam fiddled with the latch on his PipBoy, "now, how are we doing this with only two sleeping spots?"

"I will sleep on the ground," Castiel rested his head in his hands, "I am not used to needing sleep, so I will not notice the difference between a bed and the floor."

"Cas you're still getting better," Dean frowned, "you shouldn't be the one to sleep on the floor."

"I am fine," Castiel wadded up one of the blankets Lou had given them and rested his head on it as he lay down, "you both carried bags today, you should rest."

Sam sighed, "if you start to get too uncomfortable, wake us up, alright?"

"Okay," Dean sat on the sleeping bag, "but tomorrow night you get the mattress."

Castiel nodded.

"Better put this light out before Miss Tightwad comes after us," Dean leaned forward and turned the handle on the lantern until the flame was snuffed out.

* * *

Castiel rolled over on the hard floor, he didn't want to admit it, but his chest still hurt. He was having trouble falling asleep. He wasn't sure how much time had passed since the dark had settled into the room, but it was long enough for Dean to start snoring.

He sighed as he pushed himself up from the floor. Moving as silently as he could, he made his way out of the room and followed the faint glow coming from down the hall. The doors to the large room had been sealed as best as they could be, an attempt to keep in as much light as possible. Castiel hesitated before pushing the doors open. He didn't know how late it was, and he didn't want to bother anyone who was using the lit room for something.

Instead of opening the doors he turned and headed further down the long hallway, making his way back to the room where the elevator had been located. As he rounded the corner his eyes caught sight of a person sitting in the window closest to the elevator. He froze, startled at first, but then he recognized the color of Lou's hair.

She was sitting in the window sill, a leg hanging out the opening where glass used to be, her body turned mostly away from him, a shoulder leaning against the frame of the window. The heavy jacket and leather pants she had been wearing through the day had been replaced with a simple white sleeveless shirt and some shorts. Her hair that had been pulled up and stuffed under a helmet was in a loose braid that hung down her back. The moonlight was getting caught in the loose hair around her head, creating a halo.

Castiel took a step backwards, trying to back up without being detected.

Lou's head whipped around, her eyes catching his, and for a moment he could see tears.

"Hey you," she smiled, the sadness he had witnessed a moment before disappearing, "what're you doing up?"

"I, uh…" the angel tried to return her smile, "I can't sleep."

"Me either," she motioned for him to join her, "come over here and look at the stars with me."

Castiel crossed the room and stood next to the window.

"Sometimes when the world seems too terrible, I like to look at the stars," she looked up at the clear night sky, "they remind me that before the war there were people looking up at those very same stars."

"Actually, most of the stars you are seeing died a long time ago," Castiel looked up at the sky as well.

She laughed softly, "you're a strange one, aren't you?"

"I have been told that, yes," his eyes lingered on the sky, where his home used to be.

"Well, it's alright if they're all dead even," she sighed, "that's almost more comforting."

"How so?" his eyes left the sky and looked at the woman sitting next to him.

"It makes it seem more normal that I can still see all the people I love that have died when I close my eyes," her gaze seemed lost in the sky.

He stared at her. She was smiling, but there was deep pain buried in her expression. He suddenly felt as though he was glimpsing a part of her he wasn't meant to see and forced his eyes from her face, they settled on a scar that was coming out from under her shirt. It was like a welt, a deeper color than the rest of her skin, it stretched over her shoulder blade and arched up towards her shoulder.

"You have scars," he mused, wishing he had the power to heal it for her.

"What?" she looked at his face, and realized he was looking at her shoulder, "oh, yeah." Her fingers reached up and ran over the smooth surface of the damaged skin, "we all have scars here, some are just more obvious than others."

"It's hard living here, isn't it?" Castiel looked back out the window, "I had no idea a war would make the world look like this."

"War is a terrible thing," Lou stared at him, "but you would know that, wouldn't you, soldier?"

Castiel's eyes met hers, "how did you know that I was a soldier?"

"It's etched into your face," she smiled softly, "my father was a soldier before he met my mom, he had the look too."

"Where is he now?" his eyebrows knitted together.

"He died when I was nineteen," her smile faded, "raiders came through our area and killed everyone on our farm."

"But you survived," Castiel sat on the edge of the windowsill next to her.

"I was gone when they came through," she pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them, "I'm the only one from my family left."

"There was a time when I thought I had no family. I felt they had turned away from me," he smiled, "but a wise man once said, 'family don't end in blood.' It might not be any of my business, but while those two girls don't look like blood, they sure do look like your sisters."

She returned his smile, "you're right." She released her legs and let them dangle over the edge of the windowsill, "even though you're a bit odd… you're a good guy."

A moment passed between the two of them before Lou's eyes suddenly tore away from his.

"I…" she was flushed, "I'm sorry, I…" she stood up and wrapped her arms around herself, "I shouldn't be here, not with…" she paused when her eyes met his again, "with you." She began to back away, "it's not you, please don't think it's you… I just…" she turned away from him, "it's me, I just shouldn't be here."

Before Castiel could stop her she hurried from the room.

* * *

Lou closed the door to her room behind herself as quietly as she could. The moonlight coming in through the boards nailed over the window on the far side of her room gave everything a beautiful blue haze. She wrapped her arms around herself.

"What are you doing, Louise?" she whispered to herself, "you know better."

The sting of tears filled her eyes as they welled up and spilled down her cheeks.

"You _know_ better!" she scolded herself.

She let her body slide down the door until she was sitting on the concrete surface. Her fingers wrapped around the silver locket that hung around her neck, her thumb running over the etching on the front.

"I am so sorry baby," she breathed, "I am so, so sorry."


End file.
